The Limits of Reason and Morality: Kant’s Theoretical & Practical Philosophy - PHI00116I
- Department: Philosophy
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: I
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Academic year of delivery: 2025-26
- See module specification for other years: 2022-23
Module summary
Kant is one of the most influential philosophers there has ever been; indeed, he is arguably the most influential there has ever been in respect of his influence on European and English speaking philosophy. Kant’s views are often referred to, and you might think that you know about his moral philosophy, for example, already. But engaging with his texts to see what he actually says is frequently surprising, and his views are subtle and complex in ways which are often lost or misrepresented, so it is worth spending time with the ideas in their original context.
This module will investigate some core aspects of his work. We will consider some of the deepest, most profound issues about our representation of the world and about the kinds of knowledge we can have of it, as well as some of the most important issues in moral philosophy. A crucial aspect of the module will be coming to appreciate how these issues are all connected in Kant’s work: his moral philosophy is not, according to the narrative of the module, independent of his metaphysics and philosophy of mind, so a proper understanding of his moral philosophy requires understanding of his transcendental idealism, which is a position in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind. An aspect of this is his novel and intriguing solution to the problem of reconciling free will with determinism, which he sees as crucial to the possibility of morality.
Module will run
Occurrence | Teaching period |
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A | Semester 2 2025-26 |
Module aims
This module is a close investigation of Kant’s philosophy, focusing on his Critique of Pure Reason and Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. These are demanding texts which we will have to work hard to understand, and grappling with them will hone our close reading skills, and engage our philosophical imagination in order to reconstruct and assess Kant’s highly original and extremely influential arguments. We will think about the limits of representation and reason, the possibility of a priori knowledge, the nature of the self, morality and the compatibility of determinism and free will.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should:
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understand, under at least one interpretation, Kant’s core ideas about a priori knowledge, the distinction between phenomena and the thing in itself, pure and practical reason, free will and determinism, the good will, and the categorical imperative;
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be able to interpret and comment on primary historical texts (in translation), reconstructing arguments from them;
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be able to assess Kant’s claims and arguments, drawing on secondary literature and their own reflections to challenge those arguments;
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be able to articulate and explain their own ideas about the material, and explain Kant’s ideas in their own words;
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know something of the place of Kant’s work in the history of philosophy.
Module content
The first half of the module (probably five weeks) will be concerned with understand some of the epistemology, philosophy of mind and metaphysics of the Critique of Pure Reason, with an emphasis on Kant’s transcendental idealism, and its implications in respect of reconciling free will with determinism.
The second half (probably five weeks) will be concerned with the foundational moral theory of the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. We will think about Kant’s notion of the good will, and why that requires us to investigate the notion of duty, as well as what Kant’s ideas about duty and the categorical imperative are. We will also talk about the way in which the doctrines of the Critique of Pure Reason support the ideas in the Groundwork.
Indicative assessment
Task | % of module mark |
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Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
Task | % of module mark |
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Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Written feedback on formative work will be provided within two weeks of the submission deadline.
Written feedback will be given on summative essays within the timeframe of the university's policy for the release of marks/feedback.
Indicative reading
The core texts for the module will be:
- Immanuel Kant [1782/7], Critique of Pure Reason (trans. and ed. Guyer & Wood, Cambridge: CUP)
- Immanuel Kant [1785], Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (trans. Mary Gregor) in Practical Philosophy (Cambridge: CUP)
Other texts by Kant will also be referred to, and perhaps set as required or further reading.
Important secondary literature will include (but is not limited to):
- Henry E. Allison (2004), Kant’s Transcendental Idealism: An Interpretation and Defense (Revised and Enlarged Edition) (New Haven: Yale University Press)
- Paul Guyer (ed.) (1992), The Cambridge Companion to Kant (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)
- Paul Guyer (ed.) (2006), The Cambridge Companion to Kant and Modern Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press)